Until You
by Rory4
Summary: ON HOLD. She wasn't ready to go home. At least, not until she'd found what she was looking for. And she wasn't even sure what that was. Following your heart sure was harder than the books made it seem!
1. Once Before

**Until You**

**A/n: Hello everyone! I was watching Beauty and the Beast today, and this came to me. It wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to write it. Tell me what you think, please?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Beauty and the Beast, Disney does. Got it?**

**Chapter One**

She had seen him only once before. It had been on a cold and rainy day, as she and her parents had traveled through Molyneaux in their carriage. He had been standing outside of the bakery, speaking with the old baker. Hair as dark as a raven's feathers, and eyes as blue as the oceans she had seen on many trips around the world. Her heart had skipped a beat at the sight of him then, and this time was no different. He was beautiful.

Making sure that the cloak she was wearing still concealed her face, Princess Caresse passed by him. She wasn't really sure where she was going, but she knew she had to keep moving. Her mother and father had probably sent all the palace guards after her by now. She couldn't allow one single boy to keep her from her freedom, much as she was tempted. She was a girl on a mission; a princess escaped from the castle. And she meant to keep it that way. At least until she found what she was looking for.

Her stomach did somersaults as she passed by the villagers. One slip up and she would be discovered. Everyone knew her, by name_ and _face. And she had always made a point to know them the same in return. Most were her friends, so how could she lie to them if they asked her what she was up to? The truth was, she couldn't. And so, she avoided them. It would have been nice if she had had at least one ally in her escape, _just in case, _but she knew it was impossible. If she wanted to stay out of the castle, she had to remain alone.

As she entered the forest, Caresse fought down a shiver. The woods had always given her the creeps. She liked the light and open, not the dark and mysterious. And the forest surrounding the town and castle was definitely under that category. She had heard stories of the wolf attacks, the many people going in and never coming out, and deftly avoided the place. Now she had to travel through it, for how long she didn't know. As much reading as she had done on surviving in the wild, Caresse knew she knew hardly anything about it. She was used to grand rooms with fires constantly going and beds always turned down. Out here, there were no such luxuries. The only thing that kept her going was knowing that she had a will of iron. If she put her mind to something, she always succeeded. Somehow, this time she would, too.

It was growing dark, soon she knew she would have to find a place to rest. But, she wasn't ready for that just yet. She could almost feel the ground vibrating with the guard's heavy footsteps. They would be right on her heels if she didn't keep going. She wanted to stay a step ahead of them the whole time. Once it got dark, she knew they would be forced to turn back. She wouldn't.

It wasn't until an hour later that she was finally forced to stop. And as soon as she did, she became aware of all of the sounds of the night. A distant howl, an owl hooting. This time she wasn't able to surpress the shiver that traveled up her spine. Sleep. That's what she needed to do, sleep. But where? Squinting her eyes, Caresse scanned the foliage for a place to lay her head. She found a place under some trees covered by moss, and lay down, burying herself within the expensive cloth of her cloak. The daughter of King Vincent and Queen Belle then fell into a fitfully light sleep.

& & &

The growl was what woke her. It was close. Too close. Caresse frantically stood up and looked about her. In her mind, there was a pack of wolves surrounding her, waiting to tear into her flesh. And she soon found out that she was not too far off on that assumption: four pairs of yellow eyes emerged from within the bushes, heading right for her. On instinct, she backed slowly away. They came quicker; snarling. She turned and ran.

Great, only her first night out and she was going to be eaten. She'd been fooling herself, thinking that she could survive out here, on her own. She wanted to cry as she ran, thinking about her parents back home, frantically worrying over her. They would be worrying about her for the rest of their lives, never knowing what had happened to her. She was going to disappear without a trace, just like all the others.

She tripped and tore her dress. The largest one of the group snapped at her heels. She was giving up too easily, she instantly decided, and took a sudden mad dash through a patch of thorny leaves. She winced at the scratches forming on her skin. Was she going to forget her will of steel, just because she was frightened? Her father had once saved her mother from a pack of wolves, and she was very much like him, so why couldn't she save herself? Sure, she was small, but she was smart. She could do this. She just had to think. Of course it was hard while running blindly in the dark from four hungry wolves, but it was her only choice. She would not give up without a fight. She hadn't come this far to die now.

Caresse found a group of trees and climbed one. It was difficult, and her hands received splinters, but she made it. She fought to slow her breathing, and calm her racing heart. She had to settle. Wolves could smell fear, and she must certainly stink of it right now. A twig snapped. Her pulse quickened. Frantically, she searched for a weapon of any sort. A loose branch caught her attention and she reached for it. Gripping the piece of wood in her hands, Caresse waited. As the creature snapping twigs got closer, Caresse prepared to jump from the tree. Facing her enemy head on was the only way to get out of this alive. And so when she saw a dark figure standing just below her, she attacked.

Landing on the thing with a thump, Caresse quickly scrambled up and went at it with her stick before it could recover. She hit it the first time, and took two empty swings at it next, before she found herself tackled to the ground, the branch ripped from her grasp. She fought like a wild woman: punching; scratching; kicking. She was satisfied when she got pained grunts in reply. And then the creature decided to fight back. Her hands were pinned above her head in an instant, and she found herself unable to budge under the thing's weight. She struggled to no avail, and so decided to lash out with her tongue. Although she was sure this monster would be unable to understand her, she was too angry to care. She didn't have her father's temper for nothing.

"Get off of me, you wretch! I'll tear your head off you hideous beast! _Get off of me!_"

"Now why would I want to do that, if you plan on tearing off my head?" Came the calm reply.

At her surprise, Caresse's anger deflated for a moment. "Y-You can understand me?"

"_Cher Dieu,_ we are both human, are we not?"

"You're a person?"

"The last time I checked I was. What do you think you're doing out here, anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing, _monsieur, _but I find myself incapable of speech with your weight crushing my lungs!"

Immediately he was off of her, and helping her up. But he held onto her arm, preventing her from escaping. She looked at his hand. "Would you mind?"

"Yes, I would mind. You never answered my question. What are you doing out here?"

"I don't believe that's any of your-" Both of them looked to the right. The wolves were back.

The boy looked at her; she could feel his intense gaze through the darkness. "Do you trust me?" He suddenly asked.

"_Trust you?_" Caresse exclaimed heatedly. "Of course I d-"

"Good," He interrupted her, and then he was dragging her behind him as they made a run for it.

_This seems familiar,_ Caresse thought as she narrowly escaped having her foot bitten off. Except it wasn't the same. This time she had a strange male dragging her along by the arm, nearly pulling it out of it's socket. She didn't want to admit that this time she was moving much faster, thanks to him. All she wanted was for him to let her go, and to be alone again. What if he knew her from town? Then everything would be ruined. All thought left her head as the sound of snarling got closer. Right now she needed him, she decided. She really was depending on him to get her out of this. Even if she didn't like it.

One minute she was running, the next being shoved to the ground and told to stay there. And then her strange male turned towards the four wolves as they bore down on him, and began to fight. He still had the stick she had used on him, she vaguely noticed in her daze. Once one was knocked down, another took it's place. He was getting nowhere fast. She had to help. Like a blind man searching for his cane, Caresse felt around on the ground for a stick. When she finally found one, she was up and swinging at one of the smaller wolves.

She knew the boy was probably angry, but at the moment she couldn't give a damn. He needed help, and that's all there was to it. Hitting the downed wolf a few more times just in case, Caresse moved onto another one. This new opponent showed to be more fierce. Her arm throbbed after he was able to gnaw on it a little, before she thumped him over the head. And she didn't stop thumping until the stick was wrestled from her. Having been lost in an adrenaline haze, Caresse hadn't noticed that the boy had downed the other two wolves. She looked up at him, his face hidden by shadow, and then promptly fainted.

& & &

Coming out of a faint was a lot harder than they made it seem in books, Caresse thought as she struggled to consciousness. First, you had to trudge out of the utter darkness that engulfed you, and then you had to fight against your heavy eyelids. Next, figure out where in the world you were. When she opened her eyes, she found herself to be warm and indoors. It wasn't the palace, she decided. No, the palace didn't have log walls. And it wasn't one of the villager's houses; she knew all of them inside and out. This place was unfamiliar. And it scared her more than finding herself still in the dark forest would have.

She tried to sit up, and barely fought down a shriek at the pain in her arm. _What in the world? _She raised up her left arm and frowned at the bandage covering it. And then she remembered: the wolves. But, who had tended to her wounds? And whose cabin was this? Deciding to find out for herself, Caresse carefully got out of the bed she was lying in. She noticed her cloak was gone, as were her shoes. This just got stranger and stranger. Unable to resist, she stood in front of the blazing fire that was going for a moment, and then made her way into what she discovered was the kitchen.

"What are you doing up?" Caresse jumped and did a three-sixty at the sound of the sudden question. She froze when she saw who it had come from.

Blue eyes, raven black hair..."Oh, _mon dieu..._its _you!_"

& & &

**A/n: So, what did you guys think? There will be more information in the next chapter for any of the empty holes, but besides that, what did you think? I'd really like to know. Personally...I'm a bit iffy. Anyway... ttfn! **

**Rory4 **


	2. At Your Service

**Until You**

**A/N: Hey, guys. Finally, I'm updating! Before we get to the next chapter, I want to thank TrudiRose, shortstef, peachpaige and ClulessAngel for their reviews. Thanks so much, and I hope you keep reading! Now, onto Chapter Two…and please, do review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Beauty and the Beast, Disney does.**

**Chapter Two**

Blue eyes and raven dark hair looked at her suspiciously for a full minute, trying to discern how she knew him. And then with a shrug, he bowed slightly.

"Bailey Corbin, at your service _mademoiselle_." He raised a heavy brow when her expression didn't change.

"If you don't close your mouth, you will catch flies." Not realizing that she had been staring, Caresse looked down at the floor. _Cieux,_ he looked handsome! Able and dark haired, that's what his name meant. Well, he had proved to be more than able back in the woods. And he was _certainly_ dark haired. That's what made him stand out. If Corbin was his last name, perhaps his dark hair ran in his family, she mused.

He tapped his foot and crossed his muscular arms. "Well?"

His question penetrated through the fog in her mind. He had asked for her name! What was she supposed to say? Think, think, think _fast_ Caresse! she thought frantically.

"I'm, er, I'm…" she wracked her brain. "I'm…Iolanthe Raissa." Violet and rose. Her two favorite flowers.

She felt him step closer. She forced herself not to pull away when a finger lifted up her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. He looked far into her soul, trying to find something, she felt. When he kept staring at her, she began to feel violated.

Summoning up all the snobbery that being royalty entitled her to, Caresse said in a haughty voice, "If you are done staring, _cher, _would you please tell me where I am?"

He prickled when she looked down her nose at him. Some horrible twist of fate had thrown her with the only boy that had ever made her heart race. She would have to be strong, and not succumb to the urge to brush away that lock of dark hair falling into his eyes.

She tapped her foot and crossed her arms, mocking him. "Well?"

She swore she saw steam coming out of his ears. Better to hate each other than respect each other. Anything other than hate and Caresse knew she would be a pool of water in his arms. She looked him straight in the eyes, trying to pretend disdain. _Qualité, _his eyes were amazing…

"I'll tell you where you are," he growled, coming towards her. "You are safe, unlike you were _out there!_ What were you thinking? A young maiden out at night is bad enough, but out in the woods? You must be _aliéné!" _

"Do you care so little about your family, that you would risk your life?_ Mon dieu, _is that fair to them? And I wonder, did you leave them with no idea where you are? Are you selfish enough to leave them behind because of your own foolish needs?"

Caresse blinked. No one had ever spoken to her that way before. Of course, they had gotten angry. But, they had never yelled, or been cruel and blunt with her. Except she had a feeling that the next time she saw her father, she just may get an earful, and then some. She blinked again. Something in his eyes told her that that rant had not only been about her. But, that was silly.

She raised her brow in defense. "_Ah, svp! _How do you know my family? I may not even have one, you bad tempered peacock!"

For a minute, her phrasing of insult made him pause, and he looked amused. But then he was walking towards her again…

"_Assez!_ It does not matter right now. You need rest, you have been through a great ordeal." He went to lift her in his arms, and she stepped back.

What did he think she was? Some fragile, fainting female? Well, she wasn't! She didn't hide under a bed when danger came, she faced it. Forget that she had fainted. And forget that she didn't feel fine. In fact, she was rather sore. But, it was the fact of the matter! She wouldn't bow to some chauvinistic male! Never!

She was out here looking for what was missing in her life, what it was that left an empty hole in her heart when her life was so full. And she would not let anyone get in her way. Not even her parents. A twinge of guilt surged through her. She had run away in the cover of the night without their knowledge. She'd known how worried they would be, but she'd _had_ to do it. Follow your heart, that's what she'd always been taught. Well, she was.

He gave her a wry look. "Stop this. You look ready to drop to the floor. And I do not believe you want to hit your head again. You were lucky I caught you before. You would have cracked your skull open otherwise."

The arrogance of him! She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him she was just fine, and he could rot for all she cared. But, she was beginning to get dizzy. No one would ever know how much strength it took for her to yield. She was starting to not have to pretend dislike of him. He may be gorgeous, but his personality was something she could do without, thank-you very much.

"Fine. Yes. You win." _This time,_ she added silently.

As he again came towards her to pick her up, she put up a halting hand.

"I can get there myself. I made it all this way, didn't I?" He conceded, but followed close by as she made her way back to the bed. Once she was tucked back under the covers, she looked up at him.

"Do you always hover?"

"Do you always whine when people try and help you?"

She glared at him, but made no reply. Caresse wanted to slap him when he laughed.

"Sleep, _le petit._ Tomorrow we will talk."

Small one, huh? she thought as she stared at his back. He didn't look much older than she, which would make him about seventeen. Of course, if he was referring to her size, that was quite a different story. Caresse was about 5'3" and he about 6'1" if she was correct. Her mother called her petite. She called herself tiny. She didn't like it. Her brown eyes and red-gold hair like her father's, were what made her a great beauty, or so she was told. She'd never really paid much attention.

He, on the other hand, seemed more than aware of his good looks. Well built body, as if he did hard labor everyday; silky hair that reached the middle of his neck; a chiseled chin; and those ocean blue eyes she could have drowned in, had she not been more sensible.

Caresse closed her eyes, and the last thing she thought about was Bailey Corbin.

**A/n: Hey, so that's all. Let me know what you think! I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter!**

**Ah, and here's something I thought I'd better start adding, for those that may want it. Translator!**

_Mademoiselle: Miss_

_Cieux: The equivalent of 'Heavens!'_

_Cher: Dear_

_Qualité: The equivalent of 'Goodness!'_

_Aliéné: Insane_

_Mon dieu: My God!_

_Ah, svp: Oh, please!_

_Assez: Enough!_

_Le petit: Small one_

**If there's anything I missed, please let me know. Until next time, _adieu! _**

**-Rory4**


	3. Missing

**Until You**

**A/n: Yep, so it's been a while since my last update. I want to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And thanks for all of the reviews! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing _Beauty and the Beast_; _Disney_ does. **

**Chapter Three**

**W**hen Caresse opened her eyes, the sun was just making its way over the horizon, and birds were serenading the early dawn. The cottage was silent. Carefully, she slid out of the bed, quiet as a mouse. If she was lucky, maybe she'd awoken before her rescuer, the brute. Following the faint sound of heavy breathing, Caresse soon found herself standing in front of a half open door. Sliding between the small opening, for once grateful for her tiny size, she froze in fear at what she saw. There lay Bailey Corbin, naked to the waist, and drooling on his pillow like a little boy. Heat spread throughout her body. She backed away, eyes wide and watchful in case he suddenly sprang up from the bed and leapt for her. She had to get out of there _now_, before he woke. His affect on her was too strong; too dangerous.

Safely making it out of the bedroom, Caresse raced for the front door. She'd made it half way down the pathway, when she stopped, and made a frustrated sound. Where were her shoes?

& & &

She didn't want to go back in. But, just simply standing here in indecision was lessening her chances of escape. She had to be practical. She couldn't go trudging through the woods barefoot, and without a cloak. The nights were cold, the forest floors too littered with debris.

She didn't want to be practical. That man in there infuriated her; terrified her. She had no time to deal with an overbearing swine who obviously thought he was _le cadeau du seigneur à la population femelle._ She had no time to deal with the things he did to her insides. He was an obstacle, and she should be running in the other direction, forget the shoes.

But, she wasn't going to be stupid. No, she wasn't. She was going to charge in there, come hell or high water, grab her things…and run for dear life.

She opened the door, inch by slow inch, and poked her head in, her senses on high alert. So far, so good. She stepped in, looked around. What could he have done with her things?

She searched the cabin top to bottom, but found nothing but cobwebs and dust bunnies. It took a battle the size of a war to fight down a single sneeze.

Finally, there was only one more place she could look.

Caresse approached Bailey's room as if it were a snake ready to strike. He was still snoring softly, head buried in his pillow. It was hard to see, as the room was dark, and she had to wait a moment for her eyes to adjust. Sneaky as a cat, she tiptoed around the bed, looking under and around it. Nothing.

Just as she was about to resign herself to the fact that her stuff was gone forever, that the horrid Bailey Corbin must have disposed of it all, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. There, hanging on the back of the door, was her cloak. And her shoes were lying in a corner close by. Quickly, she grabbed up her things and dashed out of the room. She fled from the cottage with every ounce of energy she possessed, and didn't stop till she was sure that she was a safe distance away. As she put on her cloak and shoes, she didn't notice that it was beginning to lightly snow. Her mind was focused solely on one thing: _escape._

She had no idea which way to go, and the most logical course of action was to go back the way they had come. But, Caresse knew she had been unconscious when Bailey had brought her here. It would do her no good. She decided to improvise. She touched the tip of her index finger to her tongue, and held it above her head. Going in the direction of the wind was better than going in a random direction, she assured herself. For the umpteenth time she wished she had brought a compass. Some outdoors _explorateur_ she was.

She was relieved to be rid of him, she thought, as Bailey Corbin drifted around in her mind. He was rude and pig headed and…utterly gorgeous. Looks weren't everything, she admonished. They only went so far, and then personality took it the rest of the way. And as she'd said before, his personality left something to be desired.

When the snow flake landed on her cheek, Caresse merely brushed it away. Then she stopped in her tracks, and looked up. Thick, heavy grey clouds ready to burst at the seams with snow hung forlornly above her. Oh, _magnifique!_ Just what she needed. By the looks of things, there was going to be a blizzard. She was almost positive.

She looked all around her as a cold wind began to blow. Though she would rather find cover in a wolf den, Caresse knew she had to get back to that damnable cabin some how. It was the only way she would survive the coming storm; the only dry shelter she knew of. If she didn't get there, she would most surely freeze to death!

Now, which way had she come from?

Caresse walked around in agitated circles. She'd purposely made random turns so Bailey could not find her, in case he decided to go after her. And now she'd gotten herself more lost than before. As she took a left at a familiar looking shrub, her teeth began to chatter. Could she not catch a break? First the wolves, now a snow storm. It was as if the universe was against her making this trip and would do everything in its power to keep her from completing it.

Ugh, it was getting too cold. She couldn't do this anymore! Her shoes were soaked through and snow kept getting in her eyes. She stopped walking for a moment, and pulled the cloak more tightly around her shivering frame. She looked up to the heavens as if asking for help and her breath caught at the sight of the virgin white snow dusting the bare tree branches. It was like something out of a dream. Caresse stood staring at the beautiful sight for a moment, and when she finally snapped out of her pleasurable daze found that the snow was falling harder. She was wasting precious time!

Oh, why was she always making rash decisions? That was her one major flaw--she was most impulsive, and always had been. She always acted before she thought. Or paid attention to the weather! Oh, where was that blasted cabin? Her injuries were beginning to throb from the exertion she was exposing her body to, and she had a stitch in her side. And if she was whining, oh well. She blamed those wolves for all of this. If it hadn't been for them, she could have been half way out of Molyneaux by now.

Perhaps, anyway.

It was nearly impossible to see what was in front of her, but she kept going. It was with sheer determination that she was able to just hunch her shoulders against the icy, cyclone-like wind and not give into the impulse to lay down in the snow and pray for all of this to go away.

Caresse found herself wishing to see the one person she was trying to escape. And she had to blink several times when her wish came true. He was a black smudge in the world of white that surrounded them. He was like something evil and unclean in a world so pure. He was at that moment the most beautiful unwelcomed sight she had ever laid eyes on.

He didn't seem to feel the same way about her, however, when he finally came to stand in front of her. His eyes sparked blue flames. But, Caresse didn't care. All she could think about was that she wasn't going to spend any longer in this increasingly worse storm. She did wince, however, when he finally spoke, his voice edged with steel and booming through the tree tops.

"_Are you mad?_" That was all he said, and then he was dragging her away by the arm. She was sure she would now have a bruise to add to her list of injuries, but she didn't care. Maybe things would start going her way now. She just had a feeling.

& & &

Bailey studied the slumbering girl as she turned in her sleep. How had he gone from being comfortable and ready to settle down on his own for the winter, to having a beautiful, yet troublesome little girl under his care? This hadn't been in his plans, that was for sure. There was something very familiar about the long red-gold hair, the finely arched brows, and the Cupid's bow lips, but he couldn't quite place them. He'd never seen her before, yet he was almost positive that he had. Well, he had plenty of time to figure it all out. For the near future, or at least until her arm healed, he was stuck with _Mademoiselle_ Iolanthe Raissa. Violet Rose. What an odd, yet beautiful name. He bit back a derisive laugh. Much like its owner.

Most of the females he had encountered had been meek and simpering whisps of things. A bit like his mother had become after…well, that wasn't important. But not this one. No. Iolanthe was fire, unafraid to speak her mind, and was most definitely fighting him at every turn. She'd made it plain, more than once, that she could do just fine without him. But despite all of her bravado, he knew she was alone and he felt it was his duty to make sure she stayed safe.

And it had nothing to do with that little _something_ about her that was drawing him to her like a moth to a flame.

When he woke in the morning to find both the girl and her belongings missing, he barely bit back a stream of curses. How had he not woken up when she'd fetched her things from his room? He was usually a man always on his guard, even in sleep.

Once he found her, and he _would_ find that foolish female, he was going to throttle her.

& & &

When they reached the cabin, Caresse was blasted with a thick blanket of warm air. She breathed it into her lungs and walked straight over to the fire place. Ah, how nice it was to be _warm._ As she recuperated, Caresse pretended not to notice that Mr. Corbin, her rescuer twice now, was staring at her intently from across the room, muscular arms crossed over his broad chest in the stance she was beginning to identify as purely him. He definitely didn't seem happy at the prospect of having been her rescuer. Well, she wasn't either. It was disconcerting. She was supposed to be making this journey all on her own, not with a companion. And yet it seemed that without him, twice now she could have been dead.

Well, she just had to get the hang of all of this surviving in the wild spiel and she would be just fine.

"I-I suppose I should thank you," she said when the tense silence became too much. The atmosphere sparked with the feeling that something was going to happen, and she wanted to get on with it.

"You would not have to be thanking me if you hadn't gone out into that storm!"

Caresse grudgingly agreed with him. "Quite true. But, the fact of the matter is I do not want-"

"Silence! No more talk from you; I want answers."

Caresse bit back the retort she had about his chauvinistic behavior and what he could do with it. She stood up and paced around the room. He wanted answers, and she supposed she owed him _some_ sort of explanation after all that he had done for her. But, what to say? She couldn't very well come out with the fact that she was a runaway princess, with what she was sure was a fleet of palace guards after her. That would go over wonderfully.

_Oh,_ she did not like the feeling of being pursued by anyone. It made her feel like a vulnerable deer being stalked by a hunter. It was a helpless feeling, and Caresse did not like feeling helpless. The only good thing that could come out of this dratted snow storm was a delay in the guard's search. Any extra minutes she could get for a head start was like a single _pièce _to a beggar looking for a meal.

She started at the feel of a calloused hand brushing her cheek. She turned her head slightly and her eyes immediately became caught up in her unwanted savior's own.

"I will not hurt you, _peu un._" His voice sounded smooth as chocolate.

Caresse wondered what he was up to, when she realized that Bailey was flirting with her. He had been nothing but a prick since she'd met him, and now he was _flirting _with her? She raised a brow and gave him a seductive look. Or at least something she hoped at least resembled a seductive look, and did not make her look bug-eyed and constipated. Two could play whatever game he was playing.

"I am flattered to know that, _monsieur,_" she all but purred, running a finger down the front of his shirt like some bold heroines did in books she'd read.

Something flared in his eyes and he grabbed her wrist, no longer gentle, and pulled her hard against him. "Do not play with fire, _peu un_. I can be nice about this, or not so nice. You decide."

Caresse bit back a self-congratulating smile. She'd solved the puzzle. He'd been trying to charm her to persuade her into giving him answers. She wondered what his reaction would be if he knew he'd been manipulated into his little _approprié d'humeur._ Men were so daft sometimes.

All thoughts of daft men and manipulation fled from Caresse's mind when she suddenly saw how close Bailey's lips were to her own. So close she could feel their breath intermingling. Butterflies started to dance _la valse_ in her stomach; her heart pounded like a rapidly ticking clock. If she tilted her head just so, just tipped it a little to the right, she could touch her lips to his…

**A/n: Well, so okay. I don't really know about this chapter. Be forewarned that I may re-write it. If you see anything wrong with it or anything at all, please tell me. I will love you forever.**

**Oh, and it seems I have quite a large translator list this chapter (I should cut down on the French!): **

**_Le cadeau du seigneur à la population femelle:_ Basically, it means 'the lord's gift to the female population'.**

**_Explorateur:_ Explorer**

**_Magnifique:_ Magnificent**

**_Peu un:_ Little one**

**_Monsieur:_ Sir**

**_Approprié d'humeur:_ Fit of temper**

**_La valse:_ The waltz**

**_Pièce:_ Coin**

**Sooo, I think that's all. If I missed anything, let me know.**

**-Rory4**


End file.
